HAZMAT Coast
"How they running?" "Are they fat?" I'm afraid for Bayou state fishermen its a gonna be Sac-รก-lait no more and Poison Poisson instead. Confused? Time to catch up on your Cajun. Translation for ya'll way up north: New Orleans is an environmental mess, fuh shore, for true. Here's the gumbo ya ya from our readers.
"The big issue right now is what toxic mix will remain in the flooded areas of the city as it dries out. This will become mixed with the soil for a persistent contamination that will bubble up every time there is a heavy rain," says PaHunter. "Something will have to be done to clean this mess and with the volume, it may be better to turn the areas that were flooded into landfills to be covered by soil and vegetation. Move the people out to new neighborhoods and let the earth heal itself in this area."
40Acres gets technical. "It may be worse in that as the mud dries out it will become airborne carrying with it a toxic mix of chemical and biological contaminants that could reach well beyond the flooded areas. Covering it with soil and vegetation is probably the most prudent move. The loss of wells may be significant for repopulation of the area so maybe they should think about constructing desalination plants along the Gulf."
By Lindsay Howerton |
September 9, 2005; 12:55 PM ET
| Category:
Environmental Issues
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